U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has made the trip from London to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to meet with players and staff in person for the first time since the formal announcement of her hiring. She will not fully start in her role until the conclusion of her current club Chelsea’s season in May.
Interim head coach Twila Kilgore, who will remain on as an assistant coach once Hayes takes over, will lead the USWNT through the last two games of the calendar year and into next spring. The USWNT faces China PR on Dec. 2 in Ft. Lauderdale before finishing the year in Frisco, Texas on Dec. 5.
“Everyone is really excited,” defender Naomi Girma said after training on Tuesday. “We feel like we have our direction. We know what we’re building towards now, and it’s all very clear. I think overall we’re just excited to hit the ground running with her.”
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Captain Lindsey Horan echoed that excitement, though she also noted her support of Kilgore’s guidance at this time. Horan was asked about a column written by Hayes during the World Cup, shortly after the USWNT’s exit during the round of 16. Hayes addressed the structural issues around the team in the article published in The Telegraph — one…
